The business and busy-ness of life

Twenty minutes in the morning and twenty minutes in the evening for meditation really appeals to me. I get to both about .05% of the time. I get to one or the other probably 50% of the time

An hour of aerobic and or strengthening exercise a day six out of seven days. I've accomplished this maybe twice in recent years.

Eating fresh, healthy, nutritious food for every meal. I'm batting about .300 for that one --- not bad for baseball, not good for health.

Managing my money so that I save 10%, give 10% and spend the rest wisely. Never did that very well either.

So does this make me a failure at life? Some might say so. But here's what I think I get right most of the time.

I care for my family and they care for me.

A day doesn't go by when I am not moved by something. I feel deep sorrow at many of the tragedies of life. I am angered and grieved by how unkind we can be to one another (including my own behavior). I rejoice in little things; the beauty of the sky when it's almost but not quite dark; the sound of teenagers exploring the world in their conversations; the amazing way musical harmony can resonate within my soul.

There are things that I do that make the world a better place for someone -- even if it's just one person at a time. I will admit that I'm too self-centered, yet at the same time I know that there are sacrifices (small as they may be) that I make for others.

Who knows if, in the end, all of the good that happens in my life will outweigh the things that I do poorly or leave undone completely. I have faith that God loves us so completely that we have no worries about being supremely happy in the hereafter, no matter what. Whether we are happy in the now depends upon our willingness to do what we know is meaningful and uplifting for us. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. I think the struggle in life is to make today's experience as meaningful and uplifting as it is within my power to do.

And sometimes I allow the business and busy-ness of life to interfere with that.

Why do you suppose we do that to ourselves? Obligation? Fear? Inadequacy?

When I find out what it is for me, I hope I'm wise enough and strong enough to overcome it and make every day count.